A Shadow of A Doubt
by Edina Wylde
Summary: I'm not very good at summaries, I'm always afraid that they'll give away too much of the story. This is set shortly after Dirge of Cerberus. I didn't pick any main characters because more then 2 characters are central to the plot. Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, this is my first attempt at a FFVII fanfic and the first fic I've written in about a year. Kinda trying to get back on that fanfic horse, so we'll see how it goes. : P

Read, and enjoy, reveiw if you feel like it.

Warning: Dirge of Cerberus and Advent Children spoilers are highly likely to occur.

Disclaimer: None of the final fantasy characters in this fic belong to me (obviously).

* * *

The moon hung low near the horizon illuminating Yuffie's way through the forest. She tread quietly through the night as she tracked her quarry. Eventually she came upon a clearing, a crimson figure was curled up next to the smoldering embers of a camp fire. She could hear the soft sounds of his breathing, he was asleep. She stepped into the clearing carefully. Vincent, giving no hint that he was aware of her presence, slept on. Yuffie could hardly control her excitement; she pondered over how best to rub her victory in Vincent's face.

'Cerberus', Yuffie thought suppressing a chuckle.

She crept closer, eyes trained on Vincent's thigh where his holster would surely house his precious gun. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she dangled his favorite weapon just out of his reach. She was at his side now, body trembling with anticipation. She swept his cloak out of the way and cautiously reached for her prize. So close...

The silence of the night was shattered by the scream of a motorcycle engine. Vincent awoke with a start and with surprising speed rolled away from Yuffie, sprang to his feet, leapt backwards and landed gracefully on the low branch of a tree Cerberus in hand. Cloud tore into the clearing on Fenir spraying the loose earth all over. Vincent was still crouched on the tree branch, muscles tensed, gun flickering back and forth between Cloud and Yuffie. Cloud laughed.

"You gunna use that on us, Vincent?" He called up to his startled friend.

Vincent seemed to finally recognize them, he holstered his gun and leapt down from the tree.

"I was sleeping." He growled, crimson eyes glittering dangerously in the moonlight.

"Cloud, you jerk!" Yuffie cried picking clumps of dirt out of her hair, "Do you have any idea how close I was to..."

"You know how I love to make an entrance." Cloud cut her off with a smug grin on his face.

"I was sleeping." Vincent growled again glaring at the both of them.

Cloud hung his head apologetically but that smug smile still clung to his lips.

"Awww, did we wake you up?" Yuffie crooned, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Serves you right! You disappear without a trace, no one knows where you went, and you don't answer your cell phone. You know people worry."

"I'm sorry." Vincent said briskly, not sounding very sorry at all.

He turned away from them and sat down next to his dying camp fire. Cloud moved to sit across from him.

"You're going to go see her again, aren't you?" Cloud said.

Vincent didn't answer, he didn't need to, the answer was clear.

"Vincent, when are you gonna just let her go?" Yuffie said sitting down next to him, "This isn't healthy."

Vincent looked up at her sharply but still said nothing.

"Leave him alone, Yuffie." Cloud said settling back casually, but his face betrayed thinly veiled sorrow. He gave Vincent a knowing look.

"Fine," Yuffie grumbled, "but we're coming with you."

Vincent opened his mouth in protest but Yuffie fixed him with a level stare and shut him up. He shrugged, curled up, pulled his cape around him and went back to sleep.

* * *

Tifa worked her way through the hustle and bustle of the crowd. The marketplace was always crowded on Saturdays. She shifted her basket of produce from one arm to the other and hummed a happy tune to herself. It was Denzel's birthday today and she nearly had all the things she needed for his party. She moved into the alleyway away from the crowd. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and dialed Cloud's number. The phone rang and rang. She knew Cloud wouldn't answer, he never answered. His voice mail picked up.

BEEP

"Cloud, I know you didn't forget that Denzel's birthday party is tonight," She said into the phone, "He's going to be real disappointed if you're not there."

She paused, hesitating to say the words she wanted to say.

"I ..."

She inhaled sharply as an excruciating pain erupted in the small of her back. Her phone clattered to the ground; it seemed as if the whole world shifted underneath her feet. She lurched forward; she felt the crushing grip of a hand around her arm. A sharp crack, like the sound of breaking bones. Panic flooded her brain. Broken bones, but not her bones. The crushing grip subsided and soon she found herself on the ground. She turned her head, brain racing to make sense of what was happening. There was a man laying on the ground not far from her, his neck was bent at a weird angle, broken. A bloody dagger lay in his limp hand. Her attacker? Had someone rescued her? Agony throbbed in her back, making it hard to focus. Some part of her was vaguely aware that she was losing blood and would soon die if she did not get help. Her vision began to blur. Someone flipped her over onto her back; suddenly she was staring straight up at the cold sky... No, not the sky, someone's eyes. Cool blue eyes gazed down at her dispassionately.

"Reeve Tuesti," A woman's voice said, "You know him, don't you?"

"I need help," Tifa groaned, "I'm bleeding"

"I can see that," The woman said, "Answer my question."

"Yes, I know him. Please..."

"Do you know where he can be found?" The woman cut her off.

"Please," Tifa begged, everything began to fade, "If I don't get help soon I'm going to die."

Amusement flickered in the sky blue eyes.

"Die? I don't think so. I'm not finished with you yet..."

Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Vincent awoke, already feeling better after last night rude awakening. He hated be snuck up on and he certainly wasn't ready to forgive Yuffie for trying to take Cerberus. Cloud was already awake; he was removing Strife from it various compartments in Fenir and sheathing them in the harnesses on his back. Yuffie snored loudly, Vincent gave her a nudge with his boot.

"Ouch! Watch it, pointy boots!" She growled and pulled herself sleepily to her feet. After a quick breakfast they headed out. It didn't take long for Yuffie to disappear, no doubt looking to cause her own special brand of mischief. Vincent's hand twitched towards Cerberus to make sure it was still there. Cloud fell into step next to him, they walked silently for a while.

"It still hurts, you know," Cloud said quite suddenly, "When I think of her. I don't think it'll ever stop."

Vincent looked over at his friend. Cloud's head was lowered. It was clear that he spoke true, pain was written on his face.

"I don't want it to stop," He continued, "It reminds me why I hurt in the first place. And I don't ever want to let that go."

Vincent nodded, Cloud's words were echoed in his own heart.

"It still hurts when I think of her." Cloud sighed ruefully, "But everyday I think of her less and less."

Cloud grabbed Vincent's arm and turned him towards him. Cloud looked him straight in the eyes.

"I went out on a date," He said with the smallest glimmer of a smile in his eyes, "With Tifa. I kisses her."

The smile in his eyes spread to his lips.

"Vincent, I know better then anyone what it's like to loose someone you love. I understand how you feel responsible." He let go of Vincents arm and tilted his face up towards the sun, a warm breeze tugged at his hair.

"Life can be far too sweet to let yourself be so miserable." Cloud sighed, "I know that now, someday you'll know too."

Vincent turned away and continued walking down the path. He didn't look back to see if Cloud was following him. Moments later he could hear Clouds soft footsteps behind him.

"Vincent..."

Vincent whipped around and stared directly at Cloud. His face was as empty of emotion as his heart felt.

"The day that I don't think of Lucrecia is the day I run out of reasons to go on." He said quietly, "Life was sweet, now all that's left is misery."

* * *

Tifa opened her eyes. She was surprised to find herself alive, and even more surprised at where she found herself. A small decrepit cell, dark and damp, where was she? 

"It's about time you woke up."

A woman stood on the other side of the bars of Tifa's tiny cell. Dark hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her long black cloak mingled with the dark shadows making it hard for Tifa to focus her eyes on her. The woman's very presence seemed to vanquish what little light was left in the room. Tifa refused to be intimidated, she got to her feet and went over to the confines of her prison. She looked the woman straight into her sky blue eyes.

"You...You're the one that saved me." Tifa said breathlessly.

"If you're thinking of thanking me you might want to reconsider." The woman replied.

"Why's that?"

The woman shrugged her cloak behind her back and rested her hand on the hilt of a gun.

"Are you going to kill me?" Tifa asked weakly, suddenly feeling very trapped.

"Maybe." The woman replied simply.

"You asked if I knew where Reeve Tuesti was," Tifa said, "Are you going to kill him too?"

"Probably."

"Why did that man want to kill me?" She asked, struggling to keep herself calm.

"You don't know?" The woman scoffed, "You are a marked woman, every two bit mercenary in Edge is out for your blood."

"Me? Marked? Who would want me dead?" Tifa asked, this day kept getting worse and worse.

The woman just shrugged.

"You're lucky that you're worth more to me alive then dead," She said, "Or I might have done the job myself."

"Then I would be a fool to tell you what you want to know and then relinquish my worth." Tifa said dryly.

"If you tell me where he is I will let you live." The woman said.

Tifa glared at her skeptically.

"I give you my word." The woman added.

"What good is the word of a murderer?" Tifa asked.

The woman removed her gun from its holster and pointed it at Tifa's head.

"So I'll be going straight to killing you then?"She queried in a casual tone.

Tifa grasped the bars that separated her from her captor. She wrung them, wishing that they were the woman's neck.

"Reeve is my friend," Tifa said through gritted teeth, "You might as well pull that trigger, because I'm not telling you a damn thing."

"Your bravery is commendable, but pointless," The woman said, "Tuesti is a marked man as well. I will be very upset if he is killed before I reach him."

"Go to hell," Tifa replied, glaring and bracing herself for the inevitable.

"I thought you might say that." The woman said and stepped to her left revealing to Tifa, for the first time, the cell directly across from her own. Her heart sank into her stomach when she recognized its occupants. Denzel, Marlene, Shelke; all three of them gaged and bound, all looking just as confused and frightened as Tifa felt.

"Protecting Tuesti is worth your loosing your life," The woman said, "But is it worth loosing theirs?"

"You monster." Tifa growled.

The woman cocked her gun and pointed at the children.

"Do I have your answer then?" She asked, not giving the slightest hint that she was phased at all by what she was proposing to do.

"Wait!" Tifa cried, and she told the woman everything that she knew.

The woman holstered her gun.

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" She said.

"If you harm Reeve you will regret it," Tifa growled, "Even if you kill me now. He has other friends, that will not rest until..."

"Spare me your threats," The woman snapped, "Nothing they could possibly do to me frightens me in the least."

And for a brief moment something terribly sad broke through her ice cold facade. But she quickly regained herself and flashed Tifa an insincere smile. She dropped a set of keys at Tifa's feet.

"Good bye, Tifa Lockhart," She said, "I think that we will be seeing each other again."

And with that she turned and disappeared into the shadows.


End file.
